Cold-air funnel clouds are a relatively common occurrence and are linked with partly cloudy skies in the wake of cold fronts. According to the National Weather Service, "These phenomena are not totally understood by meteorologists, but usually occur when showers develop in the vicinity of an upper low and very cold air aloft".

While cold-air funnel clouds can make contact with the ground according to the National Weather Service this is extremely rare. Weather alerts are not released for cold-air funnel clouds because they typically cause no damage, but more importantly because they cannot be seen on radar.

Tornado safety precautions still apply when a cold-air funnel cloud is spotted, though again rare that they touch ground if they do make contact, they will produce winds equivalent to a weak tornado.